Culture - Week 6 PDF

Culture  Introduction Culture consists of the beliefs, behaviors, objects, and other characteristics common to the members of a particular group or society. Through culture, people and groups define themselves, conform to society's shared values, and contribute to society. Thus, cultu...

Culture  Introduction Culture consists of the beliefs, behaviors, objects, and other characteristics common to the members of a particular group or society. Through culture, people and groups define themselves, conform to society's shared values, and contribute to society. Thus, culture includes many societal aspects: language, customs, values, norms, mores, rules, tools, technologies, products, organizations, and presentation title 20XX 2  This latter term institution refers to clusters of rules and cultural meanings associated with specific social activities. Common institutions are the family, education, religion, work, and health care. Are there rules for eating at McDonald’s? Generally, we do not think about rules in a fast food restaurant, but if you look around one on a typical weekday, you will see people acting as if they were trained for the role of fast food customer. If you want more insight into these unwritten rules, think about what would happen if you behaved according to some other standards. 20XX presentation title 3  Society and Culture In everyday conversation, people rarely distinguish between the terms “culture” and “society,” but the terms have slightly different meanings, and the distinction is important to a sociologist. A society describes a group of people who share a common territory and a culture. A culture represents the beliefs, practices and artifacts of a group, while society represents the social structures and organization of the people who share those beliefs and practices. 20XX presentation title 4 Elements of Culture  Values The first, and perhaps most crucial, elements of culture are its values and beliefs. Values are a culture’s standard for discriminating what is good and just in society. Values are deeply embedded and critical for transmitting and teaching a culture’s beliefs. Values help shape a society by suggesting what is good and bad, beautiful and ugly, sought or avoided. Values often suggest how people should behave, but they do not accurately reflect how people do behave. Example :honesty, integrity, kindness, generosity, courage, and confidence Beliefs Beliefs are the tenets or convictions that people hold to be true. Individuals in a society have specific beliefs, but they also share collective values. For example, North Americans commonly believe that anyone who works hard enough will be successful and wealthy. Underlying this belief is the value that wealth is good and important. 20XX presentation title 6  Norms Norms define how to behave in accordance with what a society has defined as good, right, and important, and most members of the society adhere to them. examples of social norms, including greeting people upon meeting them, giving up a seat on the bus/train for an elder person, and opening the door for others as a courtesy. 20XX presentation title 7  Formal norms are established, written rules. They are behaviours worked out and agreed upon in order to suit and serve the most people. Examples: Employee manuals, college entrance exam requirements, and “no running” signs at swimming pools. Formal norms are the most specific and clearly stated of the various types of norms, and the most strictly enforced. There are plenty of formal norms, but the list of informal norms—casual behaviours that are generally and widely conformed. People learn informal norms by observation, imitation, and general socialization. For example, using napkins Covering your Nose when Sneezing, Not Spitting in Public Places, Saying “Please” and “Thank You”, Knocking on a Door before Entering. ,Informal norms dictate appropriate behaviours without the need of written rules. 20XX presentation title 8  Social Sanctions Sanctions are a form of social control, a way to encourage conformity to cultural norms. Sometimes people conform to norms in anticipation or expectation of positive sanctions: good grades, for instance, may mean praise from parents and teachers. When people go against a society’s values, they are punished. A boy who pushes an elderly woman aside to board the bus first may receive frowns or even a scolding from other passengers 20XX presentation title 9 Types of Culture Materialistic Non-Materialistic It includes all the tangible It consists of the intangible products created by human creations of human interaction. Any physical interaction. These exist as objects created by humans our ideas, languages, are part of the material values, beliefs, behaviors, culture. This includes and social institutions. clothing, books, art, buildings, computer software, inventions, food, vehicles, tools and so on. 20XX presentation title 11 High Culture Popular Culture The popular usage of the term Popular culture consists of activities culture typically refers to what that are widespread in a culture, sociologists call high culture. with mass accessibility and appeal, High culture consists of things that and pursued by large numbers of are generally associated with the people across all social classes social elite. These activities may not be Examples of popular culture include available to everyone, for several fast-food restaurants, rock reasons. They may be too concerts, television situation expensive, or they may be located comedies, and best-selling novels. in exclusive locations that are Works that examine the business of largely inaccessible without special selling cars, formal weddings membership or hefty financial illustrate some of the range of resources sociological research in this area to which many people can readily 20XX presentation title 12  Ideal Culture Real Culture Ideal culture is defined as the Real culture refers to the actual values, norms, and beliefs that a values, norms, and beliefs of a given society claims or aspires to given society, observed and follow. It is the goal of a certain measured. culture, rather than the reality that can be observed. For example, For example, Marriage is a life-long High divorced rate commitment High stealing and crime rate No stealing Food insecurity, homelessness, Human Equality unequal pay for equal jobs 20XX presentation title 13 Thank you